Tweet
A few years ago back when I was still actively working on and updating my UE website someone sent me a tip about a tunnel in Provo canyon that the BYU students would go to when they were in the mood for some light crimes/adventure called "the twilight zone".
I checked it out in the summer and found a large tunnel filled with water moving too quickly for a peek inside to be safe.
I lost interest and didn't go back for at least a year and a half, in the dead of winter. We found that with the water turned off for several months the tunnel was bone dry, so we were able to give it a thorough exploration. Halfway through the tunnel we found a steep 50+ ft. slope that looked smooth and worn, the way curbs look when skaters grind on them with any regularity and several bent metallic cafeteria trays at the bottom of this incline. It was pretty obvious people were sliding down this incline on these trays and decided to give it a try. Because I am awesome and hate my horrible life I volunteered to be the first to try. It was difficult to fit on the tray, hold onto it, and also hold a flashlight at the same time so I had to go down in the dark.
It was easily one of the most terrifying moments of my life, within what seemed like nanoseconds my life was in the hands of physics. Immediately I was catapulted down this incline, flying through the air underneath 30 feet of mountain doing what seemed like freeway speeds to an uncertain fate. I'm sure I would have heard wind rushing past my face had I not been screaming like king ************************* scaredy-cat of pansy mountain.
I eventually (it seemed) gently came to a stop on a sandbar at the bottom of the incline. There was a brief moment of silence than I started triumphantly shrieking at the exact same moment my friends shouted down to determine if I was still alive. However it was then that we learned that metal cafeteria trays might not be the best option for this ride, the metal was an excellent conductor of heat and well,
50 feet of intense friction + metal + ass = pain.
The next time we brought a stack of plastic trays we stole from a wendy's that turned out to be much more comfortable. Over the course of that winter we returned a few times because really the only other ways to catch that sort of buzz during the winter are either expensive or illegal.
Eventually we got bored with it and tried different ways of mixing it up. Experimenting with large pieces of cardboard for more than one person to use at a time (this ended up sucking) or larger trays (such as the kind that bread is delivered on, liberated from behind a smiths). These large trays were excellent in a way, they were too large to control using your feet to brake just enough to maintain the correct uh, heading (I don't know the specific navigation lingo). I was the first person to try this method as well an learned that within moments you'll lose all control and either start spinning or going backwards.
Yours truly showing off my "terror face."
It was fun but seemed entirely too risky. We tried it several times until the tray broke regardless.
The last time we went was last winter and since then there has been a complication preventing further trips.
A few weeks ago ABC 4 featured a story called underground playgrounds, a total bullshit scare-piece. The first half of this video is about the twilight zone but I have no idea who those kids are. I am actually in the second half about the U of U steam tunnels (our cameraman put the video of the trip on Google video {I'm the one making the "Dennis the menace" joke about pushing the big red button}) but I digress. During that first half they speak with one of the Utah valley water overlords and during the course of talking about how very dangerous that tunnel is and how everyone should stay the hell away, he is on camera for at LEAST two seconds pointing to the EXACT location of the tunnel on a big map. Ugh. Anyway, they also talk about how they are aware of this and are taking measure to prevent it. However there is no feasible way of completely sealing that tunnel to trespassers so I think they might be implementing surveillance.
The point is with them feeling the pressure to save the children and everyone who caught that broadcast knowing the location of that tunnel now it might be difficult. The water nazi also does have a point about the tunnel being potentially dangerous, the kids in the video filmed it when there was still water in the tunnel which indicates that it was not the frozen dead of winter when they went, which seems to me the only 100% safe time to go, when you know damn well that there will be no water coming through the aqueduct.
If you guys end up going be careful. But be sure to bring plastic trays with you because this slide is basically the best rush I've ever had with clothes on.
I checked it out in the summer and found a large tunnel filled with water moving too quickly for a peek inside to be safe.
I lost interest and didn't go back for at least a year and a half, in the dead of winter. We found that with the water turned off for several months the tunnel was bone dry, so we were able to give it a thorough exploration. Halfway through the tunnel we found a steep 50+ ft. slope that looked smooth and worn, the way curbs look when skaters grind on them with any regularity and several bent metallic cafeteria trays at the bottom of this incline. It was pretty obvious people were sliding down this incline on these trays and decided to give it a try. Because I am awesome and hate my horrible life I volunteered to be the first to try. It was difficult to fit on the tray, hold onto it, and also hold a flashlight at the same time so I had to go down in the dark.
It was easily one of the most terrifying moments of my life, within what seemed like nanoseconds my life was in the hands of physics. Immediately I was catapulted down this incline, flying through the air underneath 30 feet of mountain doing what seemed like freeway speeds to an uncertain fate. I'm sure I would have heard wind rushing past my face had I not been screaming like king ************************* scaredy-cat of pansy mountain.
I eventually (it seemed) gently came to a stop on a sandbar at the bottom of the incline. There was a brief moment of silence than I started triumphantly shrieking at the exact same moment my friends shouted down to determine if I was still alive. However it was then that we learned that metal cafeteria trays might not be the best option for this ride, the metal was an excellent conductor of heat and well,
50 feet of intense friction + metal + ass = pain.
The next time we brought a stack of plastic trays we stole from a wendy's that turned out to be much more comfortable. Over the course of that winter we returned a few times because really the only other ways to catch that sort of buzz during the winter are either expensive or illegal.
Eventually we got bored with it and tried different ways of mixing it up. Experimenting with large pieces of cardboard for more than one person to use at a time (this ended up sucking) or larger trays (such as the kind that bread is delivered on, liberated from behind a smiths). These large trays were excellent in a way, they were too large to control using your feet to brake just enough to maintain the correct uh, heading (I don't know the specific navigation lingo). I was the first person to try this method as well an learned that within moments you'll lose all control and either start spinning or going backwards.
Yours truly showing off my "terror face."
It was fun but seemed entirely too risky. We tried it several times until the tray broke regardless.
The last time we went was last winter and since then there has been a complication preventing further trips.
A few weeks ago ABC 4 featured a story called underground playgrounds, a total bullshit scare-piece. The first half of this video is about the twilight zone but I have no idea who those kids are. I am actually in the second half about the U of U steam tunnels (our cameraman put the video of the trip on Google video {I'm the one making the "Dennis the menace" joke about pushing the big red button}) but I digress. During that first half they speak with one of the Utah valley water overlords and during the course of talking about how very dangerous that tunnel is and how everyone should stay the hell away, he is on camera for at LEAST two seconds pointing to the EXACT location of the tunnel on a big map. Ugh. Anyway, they also talk about how they are aware of this and are taking measure to prevent it. However there is no feasible way of completely sealing that tunnel to trespassers so I think they might be implementing surveillance.
The point is with them feeling the pressure to save the children and everyone who caught that broadcast knowing the location of that tunnel now it might be difficult. The water nazi also does have a point about the tunnel being potentially dangerous, the kids in the video filmed it when there was still water in the tunnel which indicates that it was not the frozen dead of winter when they went, which seems to me the only 100% safe time to go, when you know damn well that there will be no water coming through the aqueduct.
If you guys end up going be careful. But be sure to bring plastic trays with you because this slide is basically the best rush I've ever had with clothes on.
Comment